LESSON 9 Creating a Documentary Script


Date: 7/10/11 Time: 11am Duration: 1 hour Stage: 2




Lesson Context and Focus:

Develop a script alongside the storyboard created in the previous lesson. The script will be recorded as voice over in students’ animal documentary in the next lesson.



Outcomes and indicators:


ENGLISH

Learning About Writing

WS2.13 Discusses how own texts are adjusted to relate to different readers, how they develop the subject matter and how they serve a wide variety of purposes

  • compares the features of two different texts and talks about how these differences are related to the purpose.

Learning to Write — Producing Texts

WS2.9 Drafts, revises, proofreads and publishes well-structured texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and written language features.


writes for a chosen audience

contributes to joint text-construction activities


SCIENCE

Living Things

  • living things depend on other living things to survive.
  • plants and animals live in environments that supply their needs.


Resources/set up:


Interactive Whiteboard or computer with link to TV/screen

David Attenborough – Lyre Birds clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

BBC – Penguins clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfWzp7rYR4

Storyboard/script graphic organizer (Appendix 1)




timing

(mins)

student

activity

Teaching points

(Open questions, cues)

RESOURCES

management strategies

Intro


7


7
Explain the purpose of the lesson(see lesson focus)
Watch video clips as a motivating introduction, and model of documentary scripts:


David Attenborough – Lyre Birds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y


BBC - Penguins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfWzp7rYR4
Instruct students to form pairs and discuss the following questionss in relation to the Lyre birds documentary:

Whole class discussion
How did the animals use the environment to meet their needs (eg, food, habitat)?
In what ways did the animals rely on any other living things?


Introduce the concept of a script: a written text that is spoken in a play/film/show. Refer back to David Attenboroughs voice over about the Lyre birds, point out how it uses humour, silence in some parts (no voice over), and an entertaining storyline about the birds ability to mimic sounds.


Compare the difference between the spoken text (script) in the Penguins documentary and the written text you created in your Information Report.
How is it different?
Does the documentary tell a story?
Does it provide factual information?
Is it interesting, entertaining?
IWB

YOUTUBE
CLIPS
Active involvement.

Call on disruptive students for input to discussion.

body (1)



15
In groups, using your storyboard as a visual guide, highlight the important details from your Information Report that you would like to include in your documentary.

Create a draft script to accompany the images in your storyboard.

All group member will need to provide a voice over. There are many ways that this can work creatively. See stimulus questions...
Model some ways of writing a script, eg.
Bob (in a quiet voice): “The platypus is an extremely shy animal, making it one of the most difficult to spot.”


Stimulus Questions

Are there different characters that could each have a unique voice?
Could you do an interview?
How will you make it clear on your script which person is speaking?
Storyboards

Blank paper for script drafts

Information
Reports

Body (2)



15
In your groups read your script out loud, and make any edits to improve it.

Annotate your final script in the lines provided underneath the storyboards.

Rehearse reading out your script, as groups will perform their script and story board in the lesson conclusion.
Is it entertaining?
Is there a story?
Does it make sense for the audience (who may know much less about the animal than you do now)?
Does it include interesting facts?
Storyboards/script

Conclusion


15


Each group will perform their script for the whole class, and receive warm/cool feedback.
Feedback must be constructive (useful, and relevant).
OVERHEAD
PROJECTOR

STORYBOARDS/SCRIPTS


Evidence of Learning:

  • Contributions to whole class discussions
  • Observable (and aural) use of effective teamwork; including talk and listening, decision making, quality and execution of ideas
  • Is script is appropriate for class audience
  • Script and storyboards

TEACHER EVALUATION


Lesson Strengths:


What worked, and why?




Lesson Weaknesses:


What didn’t work, and why?



Possible Improvements: